Mobile Devices on the Rise in 2014

As was the case in early 2013, the increase in mobile devices is projected to have a reverberating effect on state and local governments.

According to a new study by Gartner Inc., worldwide shipping of devices will be up by 7.6 percent in the new year -- mobile devices, that is.

"The device market continues to evolve, with buyers deciding which combination of devices is required to meet their wants and needs," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, in a press release. "Mobile phones are a must-have, and will continue to grow but at a slower pace, with opportunities moving away from the top-end premium devices to mid-end basic products."

Mobile phones are expected to dominate shipments by an additional 5 percent from 2013, bringing the shipment total to 1.9 billion. Blowing that number out of the water, however, is the market for tablets, which is predicted to see a 47 percent increase in sales.

According to the study, nearly two-thirds of tablet users were using their device outside the home, while use of stationary and notebook computing is slowing -- the market for these products is expected to decrease by 7 percent from 2013.

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Government personnel and public safety officials will need to accommodate this trend by being readily prepared to use and be available by such devices. Government will have to “speak the language” of its citizens in order to maintain optimum communication within an increasingly mobile society.

“Government needs to make sure all the functionality of their online presence is optimized for the screen size of tablets and smartphones,” said Bill Schrier, senior policy advisor and program manager for the state of Washington's Office of the CIO, last year. “That function includes not just static information on the Web, but applications to pay bills, or view maps, or take photos of problems and send them off to their government.”